AUBURN, Ala. – No. 4 Auburn women’s tennis did not drop a set during its Sunday doubleheader against Bellarmine, earning wins by scores of 7-0 and 4-0 at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
“First of all, I’m really appreciative of Bellarmine coming down to play and compete today,” Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo said. “It’s nice to be back competing as a team. Everyone got a singles win. It was great to see Ekaterina Khairutdinova, Ashton Bowers and Eva Ionescu get their first wins for Auburn in a dual match setting. You always want to go out and have a convincing performance, and I thought we got better as the day went on.
“I thought it was a really productive day. We’ve been working hard through an intense preseason, so it’s nice to get the reward of playing and competing. We’ll have a day off tomorrow and get right back to it on Tuesday.”
Ekaterina Khairutdinova and Ashton Bowers got the day started for Auburn, shutting out their opponents in doubles to open the first match of the doubleheader. Freshman Eva Ionescu and sophomore Merna Refaat then clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 victory on court three.
In singles, Bowers won four consecutive games to close out the opening set against Claudia Fuste before earning a 6-1, 6-1 victory at the No. 2 position. Ava Esposito continued her momentum from a strong fall season, posting a 6-0, 6-2 win on court four to give Auburn a 3-0 lead. On court five, sophomore Alice Battesti shut out Lillie Willis in the opening set and carried that momentum into the second to secure a 6-0, 6-1 victory and clinch the team win.
After the match was decided, Natalie Outcalt, Ionescu and DJ Bennett each recorded straight-set wins to complete the 7-0 sweep.
The Tigers remained dominant in the second match, winning two doubles contests by 6-1 scores to secure the doubles point.
In singles, Esposito earned her second victory of the day with a 6-0, 6-1 win to quickly give Auburn a 2-0 lead. Khairutdinova claimed a 6-2 opening-set win over Vendula Kryslova on the top court, then did not drop a game in the second set to earn her first singles victory as a Tiger. With the score at 3-0, Refaat defeated Fuste 6-0, 6-1 to clinch the match and complete the doubleheader sweep.
Up next, Auburn will host Western Carolina at 11 a.m. followed by UAB at 3 p.m. Friday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to compete in a “Courtside Chalk-Off” challenge for $150 in gift cards.
Auburn 7, Bellarmine 0
Singles Results:
- DJ Bennett (AUB) def. Vendula Kryslova (BELL) 6-0, 6-2
- #27 Ashton Bowers (AUB) def. Claudia Fuste (BELL) 6-1, 6-1
- Eva Ionescu (AUB) def. Reese Parker (BELL) 6-2, 6-1
- #28 Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Gracie Hurley (BELL) 6-0, 6-2
- #90 Alice Battesti (AUB) def. Lillie Willis (BELL) 6-0, 6-1
- #119 Natalie Outcalt (AUB) def. Nikola Kollaritsch (BELL) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles Results:
- #59 DJ Bennett/Ava Esposito (AUB) vs. Vendula Kryslova/Reese Parker (BELL) 4-2, unfinished
- E. Khairutdinova/Ashton Bowers (AUB) def. Claudia Fuste/Nikola Kollaritsch (BELL) 6-0
- Eva Ionescu/Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Gracie Hurley/Lillie Willis (BELL) 6-2
Time of match: 1:21; Order of Finish: Doubles: 2,3; Singles: 2,4,5,6,3,1; Official: Donna Jerome
Auburn 4, Bellarmine 0
Singles Results:
- E. Khairutdinova (AUB) def. Vendula Kryslova (BELL) 6-2, 6-0
- Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Claudia Fuste (BELL) 6-0, 6-1
- #27 Ashton Bowers (AUB) vs. Gracie Hurley (BELL) 6-1, 3-2, unfinished
- #28 Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Reese Parker (BELL) 6-0, 6-1
- #90 Alice Battesti (AUB) vs. Nikola Kollaritsch (BELL) 6-1, 2-2, unfinished
- #119 Natalie Outcalt (AUB) vs. Lillie Willis (BELL) 6-1, 3-1, unfinished
Doubles Results:
- E. Khairutdinova/Ashton Bowers (AUB) def. Vendula Kryslova/Reese Parker (BELL) 6-1
- #59 DJ Bennett/Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Gracie Hurley/Lillie Willis (BELL) 6-1
- Eva Ionescu/Alice Battesti (AUB) vs. Claudia Fuste/Nikola Kollaritsch (BELL) 5-2, unfinished
Time of match: 1:26; Order of finish: Doubles: 2,1; Singles: 4,1,2; Official: Donna Jerome